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American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Fight Club and Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I've read it numerous times since I was sixteen(I'm 26). It had huge impact on me. This is like asking me for a favorite band or album,there's just too many to mention. But if I were stranded on a desert island if I had On the road I'd be content with my entertainment but pissed off that I was stranded on a desert island.

short stor(y/ies) - Mark Richard's The Ice at the Bottom of the World - narrowly edges out my beloved Amy Hempel in overall short story collection.

authorial voice - Fight Club, still the best narrative out there, in my mind.

sheer mindnumbing effort and "I wish I had written it" - House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, talk about keeping all your stuff together over a sprawling manuscript, the multiple threads, the hidden agendas, all of it woven together so perfectly.

shock value, debate, discussion - The Bible by God (and a bunch of men.) No other book claims more armchair authorities (lest maybe Catcher in the Rye), promotes debate to the point of bloodshed, survives time regardless of global efforts to rid the world of it, and has so many story arcs, themes, sub-plots, morality plays, and if read properly and followed properly, imparts a positive quality of life to the reader. Everyone should read it once, if for no other reason than to have an inkling of an idea should you find yourself in a discussion about it (you will, trust me).

character development - The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, yeah yeah it was an Oprah pick, but then so was "The Road' so don't let that little sticker (that JF fought so hard to have removed, so kudos to him - he basically told the publisher "hey, I wrote the book, not Oprah" I liked him already) fool you. Great subtleties of character, perfectly balanced variety, and all told in a very convincing voice with realistic dialogue.

technical prowess - The Contortionist's Handbook by Craig Clevenger, the amount of editing and detail that went into making this book is unreal. Having sat in on two of his intensives, you could call me biased, but hearing first hand about an author who makes excel spreadsheets and comparative graphs showing his adjective to noun ratios, well, that is dedication of a wholly different level. You can write clever, you can write twist, but to do both AND be the closest thing to technically perfect in your writing, well, that's why I love it so much.

fictionalized history - The Hours by Michael Cunningham, the best example of why stories work best when grouped by threes, MC tackles three characters, three genres, three separate times, and beautifully brings them together in a stunning finish that doesn't make the reader cry foul.

makes you cry every time - Sophie's Choice by William Styron, the movie's good, but like always, the book is so much better, so much more the intimate experience. I've read it sooo many times, but every time it gets me. This book never fails me.

i remember the thrawn trilogy. that's how i started building my comprehension. i read thirty seven (or more) star wars novels, as well as jedi academy series books and so forth. i like the thrawn tril best. clever books.

Well fine doesnt make much difference to me. I'm not even sure why i would waste time lying about that, you'd think if i'd lowered my self to that i would have thought to have perhaps changed my age or something to make a more convincing lie. But I guess I'll just fester in my corner having 'not' consumed all those 600 some pages of Joyce's genious (plus what i remember to be quite a lengthy introduction) and having attained a higher understanding of the subcoinsious.
But on a more serious note I liked it better than Ulysess and no matter what anyone says it's still my favorite book by James Joyce, most of all i apprieciate the genious behind the work. I assure you with the amount of time that went into reading it and researching it to claim im lying is practically an insult. Though I by no means think I completely grasped everything he said (who could?) I left with a well enough understanding of what he was putting across and definatly got through the entire thing. Thank you for your coinfidence ladies and gentlemen good day/night/morning/dusk whatever.

How has Finnegan's Wake helped you attain "a higher understanding of the subcoinsious"?

Also, what are your thoughts on Wake's postulative Fourth Age vis-a-vis the Viconian Cycle Theory? And which age do you believe we are now in? No need to go to great lengths; a short summary of your views will do.

My favourite book of all time is um Ask the Dust by John Fante, he was a genious. Mostly though I just enjoyed it more than I enjoyed any other book, though many have come very close, they just haven't got quite there. Genious.

How has Finnegan's Wake helped you attain "a higher understanding of the subcoinsious"?

Also, what are your thoughts on Wake's postulative Fourth Age vis-a-vis the Viconian Cycle Theory? And which age do you believe we are now in? No need to go to great lengths; a short summary of your views will do.

I personally believe, that we, U.S. Americans... need more maps... um...

I haven't read Finnegans Wake. I have, however, made love to a mermaid in the sea.

Well fine doesnt make much difference to me. I'm not even sure why i would waste time lying about that, you'd think if i'd lowered my self to that i would have thought to have perhaps changed my age or something to make a more convincing lie. But I guess I'll just fester in my corner having 'not' consumed all those 600 some pages of Joyce's genious (plus what i remember to be quite a lengthy introduction) and having attained a higher understanding of the subcoinsious.
But on a more serious note I liked it better than Ulysess and no matter what anyone says it's still my favorite book by James Joyce, most of all i apprieciate the genious behind the work. I assure you with the amount of time that went into reading it and researching it to claim im lying is practically an insult. Though I by no means think I completely grasped everything he said (who could?) I left with a well enough understanding of what he was putting across and definatly got through the entire thing. Thank you for your coinfidence ladies and gentlemen good day/night/morning/dusk whatever.

Not to be a dick or call bullshit again, but it makes it hard to believe you when you don't know how to spell genius or definitely.

Anyway, Crime and Punishment is still my favorite book, though Moby Dick and The Magus have been up there trying to mix things up for a while.

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